So my youngest is now six. That is hard to believe, and everyone told me that It All Goes So Fast and I guess they were right. Okay, so the baby and preschool years didn't go so fast and That's My Story And I'm Sticking To It.
Back to the girl. We talked her into a ladybug-themed party even though she requested a princess-heart-flower-Dora-magical-rainbow party. Each time we'd pass the decoration aisle in the store, she'd ask for more things to have at her party. More characters! More sprinkles! More flavors! More! More! More! It's how she rolls.
This year was the first time she got to have a "friend" party. She colored her own invitations and walked them to the mailbox which in itself was a party. "I'm sending mail? I'm sending mail!!! In the mailbox! Will my friends get them today? Can I go to their houses to see?!"
On the day of her birthday, we had a field trip with our homeschool friends to the local Krispy Kreme. Hooray for free donuts! A friend of mine knew it was the girl's birthday, and she was thoughtful enough to bring a candle and lit it up for the Suz to blow out. It was like CHRISTMAS DAY for my girl when all her friends were singing "Happy Birthday" to her, because she loves the attention and the party and the whole store looking at her and the WHEE!!! ISN'T THIS THE BEST THING EVER?!?!?!? We left Krispy Kreme with her love tank full and our bloodstreams shocked with sugar. OH THE RUSH.
We held her party later that same day, which meant for seven straight hours I was asked, "Is it time? Is it time for my party? Time for my friends? When is my party? What will we do again? When will we eat cake? When do I turn six?"
It took some convincing on my part to explain to the girl that she was now age six. I mean, for so long she woke up every day as a five-year-old and then sha-zow! The next day she was six. And because I like to mess with her mind, I told her that since she was born in China, she had actually turned six the day before. Ha! That kept her quiet for at least three seconds.
Back to the party. The girls (three of them plus the birthday queen) sat at the table and painted for a bit, and then colored for a bit. That in itself showed me the difference between a "girl party" and a "boy party." Huh. Who knew that paint could stay on the paper it was meant for?! We then played "stick the ladybug on the tree" which was just your standard variation of "pin the tail on the donkey." The girls then got to guess how many "ladybugs" (red and black candies) were stuffed in a jar, and they guessed hugely big numbers like "nine" and "sixteen." The answer was 35, which was INCONCEIVABLE.
Once outside, the girls searched for little paper ladybugs that the boys had hid quite expertly around the backyard. Next, the girls ran to keep the "ladybugs" (big red balloons) from landing on the ground. Then they moved to the front lawn to play "ladybug hullabaloo," which was a lot like musical chairs, minus all the losing and crying and pushing each other around.
The last outdoor game involved carrying the ladybugs (spotted water balloons) on a spoon to their "homes" (a bin). During that relay game, the rather busy birthday girl accidentally tripped on the bin of water balloons, thus flipping it over and popping every last one of her team's "bugs." She went from zero to ballistic in about two nanoseconds, which makes for great party entertainment any day. After that, I decided to change the game and have the kids "fly" the ladybugs home, which involved flinging those water balloons at the bin. MUCH BETTER.
Once inside, the kids each got their own little pizza that they got to decorate like a ladybug. Black olives for eyes, green peppers for antenna, and pepperoni for the spots. While the pizzas were baking, I read the kids a couple of ladybug stories. Then there was dinner, and presents, and finally: the ladybug cupcakes. Kudos to the Pa for making The Cutest Ladybugs Ever, I mean seriously, GO CUTE OR GO HOME, WIN WIN WIN. Almost too cute to eat, ha ha, just kidding. The girls coated themselves in cake and frosting. For friend parties, I always plan the cake and ice cream for the last ten minutes. Here's your sugar, there's the buzz, and GOODBYE! THANKS FOR COMING!!!
Happy sixth birthday, my funny China girl!
